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Thursday, 29 January 2015

Periphery - “Juggernaut: Alpha” / “Juggernaut: Omega” (Album Review)

Album Type: Double Full
Length

Date
Released:
26/1/2015

Label: Century
Media Records

Juggernaut: Alpha
- Omega CD//LP//DD track listing:

“Juggernaut:
Alpha”“Juggernaut:
Omega”:

1. A Black
Minute (4:16) 1. Reprise (1:25)

2. MK Ultra
(2:50) 2. The Bad
Thing(5:54)

3. Heavy
Heart (4:22) 3. Priestess
(5:04)

4. The Event
(1:45) 4. Graveless
(3:56)

5. The
Scourge (5:36) 5. Hell Below
(3:43)

6. Alpha
(5:31) 6. Omega
(11:44)

7. 22 Faces
(3:52) 7. Stranger
Things (7:35)

8. Rainbow Gravity (4:39)

9. Four
Lights (2:18)

10.
Psychosphere (6:16)

Periphery
is:

Spencer
Sotelo – Vocals

Misha
Mansoor – Guitars

Jake Bowen –
Guitars

Mark Holcomb
– Guitars

Adam Getgood
– Bass

Matt Halpern
– Drums

Review:

Periphery
is a band on the edge of exploding. They are one album from gravity losing its
grip on them and watching haplessly as they ascend higher and higher up the
heavy metal food chain. A marriage of paradoxical ideologies in their
fat Meshuggahisms and sickly sweet melodicism, they have nestled
into a niche entirely of their own making. They stride betwixt musical borders
like nomads. and that unfortunately, is where the problem lies. Their
conflicting mantra is at war with itself on 'Juggernaut', unsure of its
true identity and purpose. As I said earlier, Periphery are one good album
from exploding, but I don't think this is it.

Fans
have been waiting for what feels like a lifetime for a full length follow up to
'Periphery II: This Time its Personal'. Last year's experimental EP, 'Clear'
only whetted appetites more, so it is with anticipation rather than trepidation
that we greet this record. But hype and excitement seems to have hindered this
album's enjoyment: It falls flat of the expectations of many. It is by no
means a bad album, but it is too scattershot and incoherent to be anything
truly defining. When they get it right they get it absolutely spot on but when
they get it wrong they do so with an air of disappointment.

It's
not that one of these two prominent styles is to blame. In fact, it's nigh on
impossible to point your finger at anything specific. Sure,
the poptastic pomp of vocalist Spencer Sotelo is something to make
many of the Sludgelord readership retort in disgust like they've just
eaten a stupidly sour tangfastic. But at points their bouncy, upbeat side
is simply infectious. And there are times too that they’re heavier than a
leviathan's piles. Riffs and discordant,
demonic guitar work loses sight of engaging musicality. 'Alpha' is a
fine example of the former, with more hooks than a fishing emporium; it is
quite simply a djent-ified radio friendly pop song - albeit one
played with 7 string guitars. But it works. From its SNES intro to its
mincing chorus, it pulls you along for a joyride. For the latter, 'Hell Below'
is damning evidence. It's brutal, with a gale force low end, but it seems
heavy for heavy's sake, executed with a lack of character. Then it dips into
an unexpected jazzy lounge music movement in its final throes. This is
where another problem lies. Progressive music such as this is inundated with
winding meanders that defy expectations, bend genres and plonk a stick of
dynamite in a pigeon hole before running like hell. The issue here is that,
instead of giving songs the gift of spicy variety, it unsettles the flow of the
song. On 'Four Lights', an instrumental number amass with mind-bending time
signatures and savage riff work that typifies the unrelenting side
of djent, all the magic is ruined in the blink of an eye. It drops to an
almost circus like ditty before picking up the pace once more. But as soon as
that dynamic shift takes place the song advances without actually going
anywhere.

That
is but one example in an album littered with jittery structures. The
album as a whole lacks continuity. The thing is, every member in this
sextet is a writer and a producer in their own right, hence the experimentation
of 'Clear'. So have too many cooks spoilt the broth? It certainly seems that
way. Most songs are pulled by the current of a different stylistic
opinion or ideas. It seems, on the surface of the finished product at least,
that an internal battle for each musician present to stamp their own
personality on the record has hampered the record's own personality. That is
why this isn't a defining album, not in the way 'Periphery II' launched them to
where they perch today, a stone’s throw from selling out massive
venues.

But
those moments where they do hit the nail bang on the head are well worth a
visit. 'Rainbow Gravity', a definite
highlight, is boisterously groovy and when they segue from heavy
to clean cut, suited and booted melodies they do so smoothly. The solo too,
very much classical in their countenance, with sudden bursts of pace sharpening
their edge are highly impressive. 'Omega' has some gratifying moments too, but
at 11 minutes long, you'd expect some worthwhile substance in which to
divulge. '22 Faces'' chorus is massive and as addictive as they come while
'Graveless' does its best to rip open the ground below you and send you
tumbling into hell. It is catastrophically impactful, the
musicianship simply astounding. A song iced with another
catchy chorus, this is the Periphery that so many have come to know
and love. This is the Periphery which just isn't apparent enough across this
double album. A double album! Quantity, sadly - especially considering the
amount of time the band has been working on this - has vastly outweighed
the quality. Perhaps they have become too bogged down on this project, the
magic of spontaneity not being able to flourish amidst six creative minds
meticulously mapping it all out.

So
to repeat, this is not a bad album, but nor is it the album the Periphery
faithful - Peripherites? - were hoping for. There are moments of genius
across both 'Alpha' and 'Omega', but they are outnumbered by mundane tracks too
unsure of themselves to convince you that this band is ready for the big
league. It's not a league at all out of their reach; they just need to spend a
few more seasons working towards that much sought after promotion.

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